Apparatus for testing a well without interrupting flow therefrom



073-452a R 5R 1335293970 DREARDON 3,550,444

APPARATUS FOR TESTING A WELL WITHOUT INTERRUPTING FLOW THEREIFROM Filed Jan. 29, 1969 FIG. 3.

[NV ENTOR DAN/6 L EflEDO/V ATTOEGVS 3,550,444 APPARATUS FOR TESTING A WELL WITHOUT INTERRUPTING FLOW THEREFROM Daniel Reardon, Garden Grove, Califl, assignor to Cook Testing Co., Long Beach, Calif., a corporation of Nevada Filed Jan. 29, 1969, Ser. No. 794,939

- Int. Cl. E21b 47/06 U.S. Cl. 73-152 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for testing the pressure, temperature or other attribute of fluid in a formation traversed by a string of well tubing includes a housing connected into the tubing string and having lateral ports in the wall thereof communicating with a central axial bore. An imperforate tubular sleeve carries axially spaced seals to contact the housing bore above and below the lateral ports. Upon removal of this sleeve by means of a wire line, a well testing assembly is insertable through the interior of the tubing string into the housing, and has axially spaced sealing means engageable with the bore above and below the lateral ports. Releasable latch means holds the assembly in position. Passage means extend from a test device on the assembly to communicate with the lateral ports in the housing.

This invention relates to well testing apparatus and is particularly directed to apparatus for use with a flowing well or a pumping well having a rodless-type pumping system. It is a feature of this invention that the well formation outside the tubing string can be tested as to pressure, temperature, etc., without requiring complete shutoff of production of well fluid through the tubing string, and without requiring removal of the pump.

It is known that the fluid level in the formation outside the tubing string is established by the ability of the fluid to flow from the formation. At different rates of production, that fluid level changes. The device of the present invention enables the changes to be recorded, so that buildup or drawdown curves can be used in calculating formation properties and reservoir potentials.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1a is a sectional elevation showing a preferred embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 1b is a continuation of the lower end of FIG. la.

FIG. 2 is a sectional plan view taken substantially on the lines 22 as shown in FIG. 1a.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view partly broken away, showing a blanking sleeve assembly employed in connection with this invention.

Referring to the drawings, the tubular housing is provided with threads 11 and 12 at its opposite ends for connection into a string of well tubing, not shown. This housing is installed in the tubing string at the desired depth when the well is being completed for production, or when the tubing string is being rerun on a workover job. The housing 10 is provided with a central axial bore 13 and is also provided with a plurality of lateral ports 14 in the wall 15, which ports communicate between the central bore 13 and the exterior of the housing 10. A circular groove 16 in the housing 10 intersects the lateral ports 14.

When the housing 10 is initially installed in the tubing string, the blanking sleeve assembly generally designated 18, as shown in FIG. 3, is positioned within the housing 10 with its spaced sealing rings 19 and 20 positioned above and below the groove 16. This blanking sleeve assembly 18 has a full bore opening 21 extending axially United States Patent 0 3,550,444 Patented Dec. 29, 1970 ICC therethrough which provides minimum restriction for flow of well fluid. Other details of construction of this blanking sleeve assembly are described below.

When it is desired to test the pressure, temperature, or other attribute of well fluid in the formation outside the tubing string and housing 15, the blanking sleeve assembly 18 is removed by means of a wire line, and a well testing assembly generally designated 25 is lowered through the tubing string and into the housing 10' and by the wire line. This assembly 25 includes a body 26 and a testing tool 27 mounted within a carrier 28 secured to the body 26 by threads 29, and functioning as an integral part thereof. The test tool 27 may be supported between coil springs 30 and 31 to minimize shock loads. The chamber 33 within the carrier 28 communicates with the mechanism of the pressure bomb 27 and also communicates with a longitudinal passage 34 provided in the body 26. The upper end of this passage is closed by a knock-off plug 35. A lateral passage 36 in the body 26 communicates with the longitudinal passage 34 and with the groove 16 in the housing 10. Axially spaced seal rings 37 and 38 carried on the body 26 engage the housing bore 13 above and below the location of the groove 16 and lateral ports 14. From this description it will be understood that well formation pressure outside the housing 10 is communicated through the lateral ports 14, groove 16, lateral passage 36 and longitudinal passage 34 to the pressure bomb 27 within the carrier 28.

Releasable latch means are provided for securing the well testing assembly 25 in position within the housing 10. As shown in the drawings, this latch means includes a spring collet assembly 40 having a plurality of spring fingers 41 each having an abutment 42 engageable under an annular shoulder 43 provided on the housing 10. An outer portion of each of the spring fingers 41 is provided with threads 44 and a bevel surface 45. The bevel surface 45 is engaged by a running-in tool carried on a wire line, not shown. This running-in tool may be of the type disclosed in the copending application of John S. Page, Jr., Ser. No. 491,192 filed Sept. 29, 1965, now US. Pat. 3,473,606.

The presence of the well testing assembly 25 in the housing 10 does not shut off production of well fluid through the tubing string because longitudinal bypass passages 46 extend through the body 26 from end to end. The total flow capacity of the bypass passages 46 is not as great, however, as that of the full bore opening 21 in the blanking sleeve assembly 18.

When the test has been completed, a pulling-out tool, not shown, is run down through the tubing string and into the interior of the collet latch 40 to strike the upper exposed end of the knock-oft plug 35. The plug fractures at a weakened portion 47 to vent the passage 34 into the interior of the tubing. This equalizes the pressure across the lateral ports 14. The pulling-out tool may be of the type disclosed in said copending application, except that its lower end is slanted at an angle to engage the knock-off plug 35. This tool engages the threads 44 to contract the collet fingers 41 and disengage the shoulders 42 from the abutment 43. The entire Well testing assembly 25 may then be withdrawn upward as a unit from the housing 10 through the tubing string.

This blanking sleeve assembly 18 is then lowered on a wire line to its initial position in which the seal rings 19 and 20 straddle the ports 14 and groove 16 in the housing 10. The assembly 18 is provided with the same collet latch and string fingers as shown in detail in connection with the well testing assembly 25, and it is handled by the same running-in tool on the wire Having fully described my invention, it is to be under- 3 stood that I am not to be limited to the details herein set forth but that my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. For use in a string of well tubing, well testing apparatus comprising in combination: a tubular housing having means at its ends for connection into the tubing string, said housing having a central axial bore, lateral port means in the housing establishing communication between the bore and the exterior of the housing, a well testing assembly insertable through the interior of the tubing string and into said housing, said assembly including a body, axially spaced sealing means on said body adapted to engage said housing bore on opposite sides of said lateral port means, longitudinal bypass means within the body establishing communication within the tubing string above and below the well testing assembly, a well test device carried on said assembly, passage means on said body communicating with the well test device and with the interior of said housing between said spaced sealing means, whereby well fluid outside said housing is placed in communication with said test device through said lateral port means and through said passage means, while well fluid may simultaneously flow upward within the tubing string through said bypass means.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein releasable latch means are provided for securing the well testing assembly in position within the tubing string.

3. In combination: a string of well tubing including a tubular housing therein having a central axial bore,

lateral port means in the housing establishing communication between the bore and the exterior of the housing, a well testing assembly insertable through the interior of the tubing string and into said housing, said assembly including a body, releasable latch means for securing the well testing assembly in position within the tubing string, axially spaced sealing means on said body adapted to engage said housing bore on opposite sides of said lateral port means, longitudinal bypass means within the body establishing communication within the tubing string above and below the Well testing assembly, a well test device carried on said assembly, passage means on said body communicating with the well test device and with the interior of said housing between said spaced sealing means whereby well fluid outside said housing is placed in communication with said test device through said lateral port means and through said passage means, while well fluid may simultaneously flow upward within the tubing string through said bypass means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS JERRY W. MYRACLE, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

